Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Pumpkin-Pom Endive Boats + Rosemary Bean Dip

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Moral support is key to any new adventure.

Me, Mallory, and Mom

Lucky me – I had my mom and my best friend with me for my venture into the land of food service.

Mom actually walked in 5 mins before the party began with a dish to bake the Jacked Up Brie.  The problem with starting out in catering (and being a minimalist when it comes to server-ware) is a lack of resources.

The second set of “appetizer-like” munchies was a white bean dip and endive boats.

No party is complete without a veggie tray and dips!  The dip I made was a rosemary-laced chickpea dip that used rosemary-infused olive oil and Greek yogurt.

The best part about white bean dip is its simplicity – throw everything in the food processor and hit “start.”  Lemon and garlic are must-haves in virtually any bean dip I make.  They keep the Mediterranean spirit of the hummus and were perfect with the rosemary.  You could use any olive oil here, but I liked the added punch of flavor achieved by using the rosemary-infused.

Next up were the endive boats.  Theses were voted the second favorite food item of the night!  It’s funny how the simplest things can be so good!  Endive is a sturdy leaf perfect for creating bite-sized salads.  (This dish was originally going to be a giant salad with arugula, but the hostess didn’t like the idea of a non-finger food.)

Into the boats went pumpkin bits (from a Sugar Pie Pumpkin I’d roasted and diced a few days in advance),  pomegranate arils (I found whole pomegranates on sale for $2 each!), and goat cheese.  After plating the boats, I drizzled them with a champagne-pomegranate vinaigrette.  It was amazing how much of a difference the dressing made – it was just the right amount of tang to bring the flavors together.

I’ll be making these boats again for get-togethers at my house.  With the lettuce base, the possibilities for filling are endless.  These would make a great vessel for chickpea salads, tabbouleh, or even a deconstructed guacamole!

Rosemary Bean Dip

  • 2 15 oz cans of garbanzo beans, drained
  • 1/3 C plain Greek yogurt
  • 3 T olive oil (I used rosemary-infused)
  • 3-4 T rosemary
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • S & P, to taste

Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth, scraping down sides and adding more liquid as necessary.  Don’t be afraid to let the processor run for several minutes – it will only make the dip more smooth and delicious!

Makes 2.5 cups.

Pumpkin-Pomegranate Endive Boats

  • Endive leaves
  • Crumbled goat cheese
  • Pumpkin, roasted and diced into even squares
  • Pomegranate arils
  • Champagne-Pomegranate Vinaigrette (see below)

Trim endives, separating leaves.  Fill with goat cheese, pumpkin, and pomegranate arils.  Drizzle with vinaigrette.

Notes:

– I didn’t include amounts since there wasn’t any real measuring going on, but 6-7 good-sized whole endives will make boats for at least 15.

– You could use any vinaigrette here, but I would recommend using one that is light in color if the boats will be on display for a while.  A deeper color will stain the endive and make it less visually appealing.

Champagne-Pomegranate Vinaigrette

  • 1/2 C champagne pomegranate vinegar (found at Whole Foods)
  • 1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of 1/2 medium lemon
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 T sugar
  • S & P, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

***

Tomorrow is going to be the “greatest hit” food item.  I’m a little in love with them.

What would your ideal endive boat be filled with?

Do you have the rest of the year off of work?  I’m counting down the days ’til Friday.

Getting Buzzed with Foodies

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Meeting the people behind your favorite blogs?  A privilege.

Being in a room full of people who don’t bat an eye as you photograph every food item in the room?  Surreal.

Sharing ideas with a roommate who comes up with the coolest food combos around?  Inspiring.

Sampling all of the food, wine, and beer you can handle?  Sin-tastic.

 

FoodBuzz 3rd Annual Blogger Festival?  Priceless

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Friday night we attended a Welcome Reception sponsored by Sabra.

 

To start we had hummus hors d’oeuvres and wine.  Hummus Heaven.

 

When it hits stores, try the new Holiday flavor – the rosemary deliciousness will knock your socks off.  I’m thinking that served on little toasts with goat cheese and micro greens will be my holiday party go-to this season.

 

Sarah (my Smart Kitchen roommate) and I tried everything, obsessed over the fresh veggies, and made friends with fellow bloggers.

 

We were then brought in for the Awards Dinner.  Served buffet-style, many of the dishes were inspired by fellow FoodBuzz-ers.

 

Our table, which included new friends Karen (of The Tamale Girl) and Lauren (of Vegology), voted the night’s winning dishes to be the Housemade Beet Ravioli  with arugula and goat cheese and the Lentil Salad with shaved  fennel  and  escarole with a sherry vinaigrette.

 

After that smorgasbord Sarah and I hit the (surprisingly) nice gym to start out day 2 on the right foot.  I also ran to the host hotel to get my schwag bag.  Check out these goodies:

 

By the time we made it to the pre-panel breakfast bar we were ready to chow down.

Delicious fresh fruit, vegan sunflower seed bread, local jam (the strawberry was my fav), spinach-mushroom frittata, pumpkin bread, and scones.  I sampled a little of everything.  And then seconds of everything.

 

As good as that was, the highlight was getting to try Cookie Dough Balls from Mamma Pea herself!  Sarah and I split a Chocolate Chip and a Pumpkin Molasses.

 

Run, do not walk, to try this recipe for the Pumpkin Molasses.  It will change your pumpkin-lovin’ life.

Did I mention I also got the meet the famous Ms. Pea?!  Pics tomorrow! 

 

We attended 3 panel discussions: Taking Your Blog to the Next Level, DSLR-free Zone, and Effective Social NETworking.

My personal favorite was the one on taking good pictures without a DSLR camera, presented by Greg @ Sippity Sup, Chuck @ Foodgawker, and Angi @ Rice & Wheat.  You may have noticed photography isn’t one of my many talents.

 

Top take-a-ways:

  • The Camera+ app is a necessity for iPhone photography
  • When going out to eat, choose the table with the most natural light if possible (how did I never think to request this?!), or at least choose the seat with the best lighting
  • If you must use a flash, use one layer of a thin paper napkin to diffuse the light
  • For home photography, a grow light from Home Depot in a reflector (those sliver bowl things) works well when you can’t use natural light

 

It’s getting wordy and I’m running late for work (doh), so more to come tomorrow.  We had an awesome time at the tasting pavilion, met T Flo, and tweeted our way through a fun banquet dinner!

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Quickie week recap to hold myself accountable:

 

Workout Recap (10/31-11/7)

  • Monday – 0.6 mile run jog,  Ab Ripper X, 10 min X-fit circuit
  • Tuesday – 100 push-ups 
  • Wednesday – 1.5 mile run, Biceps/Back, 6 min plank sequence, 100 push-ups
  • Thursday – 1.5 mile run, 30 min core class, Body Pump, 40 ins Stairmaster
  • Friday – Triceps/Chest, 6 min plank sequence, 100 push-ups
  • Saturday – 10 min jog, 30 ins elliptical, 100 push-ups, crunch machine (50)
  • Sunday – Travel day 🙁

***

I am full of inspiration after the weekend – perfect timing for the holiday backing season.

Do you have any tips for low-tech photography?

How did all the race-runners do this weekend?

 

Slow Food and Curried Butternut Squash Dip

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Remembering hurts sometimes.

Morning view from our B&B

Maybe I’m being a little dramatic… but I fell in love in the Piedmont region of Italy.  Specifically in Alba.

Our first day in the region was spent bumming around the small town of Alba.  Two important things to note about Alba:

  1. Ferrero (the company that makes Nutella) is based there
  2. It is most famous for its magnificent white truffles (tartufi bianco), which are in season from October-December

Therefore, the city smells of chocolate and truffles.  How could I not fall in love?

We took our time at the B&B sleeping in and getting ready for the day.  All of the train travel, 55 lb bag carrying, and late night arrivals were taking a toll!  We arrived in the city center just in time for lunch at one of the original Slow Food restaurants – Osteria dell’Arco.

Not familiar with the Slow Food movement?  Briefly, from their website:

Slow Food is a global, grassroots organization with supporters in 150 countries around the world who are linking the pleasure of good food with a commitment to their community and the environment.

To say that it was a religious experience would be an understatement.

To begin, I was THRILLED with my massive salad topped with perfect late-season tomatos, carrots, and yellow peppers.  The glass of Nebbiolo was pretty tasty too.

Insalada Mista

We ordered a Primi to share, followed by two Secondi.

The primi was so good it almost made me cry – gnocchi with shaved black truffles.  That was the lightest, fluffiest gnocchi that I have ever put in my mouth (and we ate quite a bit on this trip).  The sauce was perfectly creamy with a touch of salt – just enough to complement the earthy, rich truffles.

The following dishes were also excellent: Brasato di vitello al barolo (braised veal in Barolo wine) and an eggplant dish with red peppers and creamy lemony ricotta.

Check out the Slow Food plate!

Post-lunch explorations took us all over the city, admiring truffles, pastas, and various meats.

We wandered into one particular truffle shop and were admiring the jars truffle-laced goodies when I did something embarrassing.  I knocked a 25 Euro jar of anchovies with white truffles off the shelf.  It shattered onto the floor and the store filled with the aroma of truffles… which gave way to the less pleasant smell of anchovies.  Call me Grace.

I apologized profusely to the man working and mentally prepared myself to have to shell out the money for the merch.  much to my surprise, the man insisted I not worry about it and – since I wouldn’t stop apologizing – he gave me a piece of truffled chocolate!

To this day I’m not sure how the next part of this story came to be.  The man – Tomi – ended up talking to us for a bit.  We told him how much we wanted to have some good white truffles, which are hard to find on menus early in the season.  It turns out it isn’t uncommon for people to buy truffles to bring to a restaurant for dinner (BYOT), and he knew of a shop where we could buy them (with his 50% off discount!!!).  The really mind-blowing part is that Tomi offered to drive us to his friend’s restaurant in the neighboring town of Teriso for dinner!

How does this stuff happen to us?!

We decided to take our chances that he wouldn’t be a mass murderer (he wasn’t – he was a very nice Japanese-transplant to Italia) and accepted his generous offer.  Off to the store to buy truffles!

Clockwise: local hazelnuts, black truffles, white truffles, samples of various truffle spreads

You lick it, you bought it!

Our very own 0.26 ounces of white truffles

.26 oz of white truffles would normally cost about 100 euro.  We got it for 50.  That’s cheap compared to what you find in the States – I just heard that a local Atlanta restaurant is offering a white truffle pasta dish for $60.  Thanks Tomi!

Profumo di Vino has the coolest menu design I’ve ever seen!

Profumo di Vino’s chef/owner, Memo, offered a delicious tasting menu… all of which i can no longer name, but I’ll do my best!  ‘Scuse the nighttime low-quality shots.

2008 Elio Grasso Barbera d’Alba

Pumpkin mousse

Encrusted poached egg (post-cut) over a potato puree

Memo shaving our truffles over his olive-oil coated tajarin

Eggs, white truffles, and a phenomenal Hilberg Barbera d’Alba.

This was incredibly tender and moist… I think he said it was quail but it seems too big?!

Molten chocolate cake. Served with a side of jalapeno gelato.

Normal people might go home after all that.  We aren’t normal.

The whole kitchen came out to talk to us and we shared drinks with a staff from the following countries: Mexico, America, Sweden, and Japan.  There may have been a push-up contest involved.  Only in Italy.

Who needs a dose of health food after that smorgasbord?  Are you seeing why I need to cleanse?  LOL!  🙂

I had a little bit of butternut squash left over and wanted to eat it in a new way.  Remembering the Butternut Rosemary Hummus I made last spring, I decided on a dip.  Curried Butternut Squash Dip.

The curry and ginger flavors with the sweetness of the squash was delicious.  I enjoyed the whole dish with carrots, red bell peppers, and celery.  Then I cleaned the bowl with my fingers.

The garnish is simply roasted butternut squash seeds.  They are just like pumpkin seeds and super easy to make:

  1. Pick them out of the “guts” and give them a good rinse
  2. Spread them out and allow to dry overnight 
  3. Coat with a bit of coconut oil and cinnamon (careful not to get them too moist)
  4. Roast them in the oven on 325 for ~30 mins, stirring once or twice
  5. Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container

They make a great grab and go snack!

Curried Butternut Squash Dip

  • 1/2 C butternut squash, roasted
  • 2 tsp rosemary
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
  • 1/2 tsp curry powder
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • Juice from a wedge of lemon
  • S+P, to taste

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.  Adjust spices and add more oil (or water) as needed.

Use as a dip for your favorite veggies and chips or as a spread on sandwiches or wraps.  Or simply eat with a spoon while standing over the blender.

***

I think the Piedmont recaps have been hard for me to begin because I’m still sad I had to leave.

Have you ever had white truffles?

What’s your favorite way to eat butternut squash?

Pumpkin Shortage + WIAW

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Don’t panic but…

 

There may be a pumpkin shortage.

Damage from Hurricane Irene is worse than we thought.  The hurricane destroyed hundreds of pumpkin patches in the Northeast.  Prices for the surviving pumpkins have doubled in some cases.
Growers in other regions are shipping pumpkins to the NE, but if you’re in the affected area you still want to get your pumpkins early before the good ones are gone!

No word on whether it will affect canned products or pumpkin ales.


I hope I didn’t alarm anyone.  🙂

Back our regularly scheduled WIAW: The Using Everything in My Kitchen Edition.

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Breakfast:

I recently bought what will probably be the last peach of the season.  Sad.

 

Peach Cobbler Chia Pudding isn’t sad though.  This made for a tasty breakfast while on an early conference call with Taiwan.

I did it the same way as usual (click link above for recipe), except I used chunky PB and sunflower seed milk (which was NOT as good almond milk in this!).

 

Not pictured are my 2 cups of coffee.  Black, with cinnamon sprinkled in the grounds (pre-brew).

 

 

Lunch:

I went on a nice little 7 mile run and was starving when I got back.

Monster Salad time.

 

In my bowl:

 

I wasn’t a huge fan of Sunshine patties at first, but I discovered that microwaving them half way and then finishing them off in a pan makes it much better.

 

Snacks:

Biscoff Cookie Dough Ball for pre-run fuel.  These kept really well in the freezer… but this was the last one. 🙁

 

I also made another Biscoff spread treat.  Which I will share on Friday… it seems timely since I’ll be eating Biscoff on my flight. 🙂

 

Dinner:

This was a creation inspired by the cooler weather… and fact that tofu, spinach tofu noodles, and tomato sauce are all on list of this to use in my fridge.

 

This Vegan “Ricotta” Pasta Bake was seriously good.  I added artichokes and capers, which made it not-your-mamma’s pasta bake.  And – of course – red pepper flakes.  

 

I love surprising myself.  Recipe coming tomorrow!!!

For a more delicious eats, check out the round up at Peas and Crayons!

***

It is proving to be a fun challenge to use only what I have.  Running out of spinach is a scary thing though!

Are you affected by the pumpkin shortage?

What ingredient are you most looking forward to being back in season?

 

Chilly Weather Eats + WIAW

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Wednesday comes quickly on short weeks!

Short weeks are good and bad.  I love the extra weekend time… but I was at work until 8p last night paying for it.

It’s chilly and drizzling rain here, so I had planned to go to kickboxing for a good, mindless workout.  The last class starts at 730p.

On the bright side, I hit the gym in my building and tried out a new back/bicep workout that I’ll be sharing soon. 🙂

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On such a short week I nearly forgot to take pics for WIAW!

 

I did remember nearly everything in the nick of time.  Mas importante because I had a special treat for breakfast.

 

Breakfast:

I pre-gamed breakfast with some cantaloupe because it was going to take a minute before I picked up the main show.

 

FREE Chick-fil-A!!!  It is free breakfast entrée week (with a reservation).  I was pumped to try out their new oatmeal.

I came prepared with my own peanut butter (I never said I was normal).  They provided brown sugar, nuts, and dried fruit as toppings, but I’m not a dried fruit fan and the nuts were all sugar-coated.  Too much sugar in the morning!

The oatmeal itself was pretty good.  The fact that it’s multi-grain gave it a good texture.  It was cooked well – not watery, which I generally find to be the problem.  Only 120 calories and 5g of sugar, but I liked that it had 3g of fiber and 4g of protein.  That said, the serving was fairly small and I was really glad for the peanut butter!

 

Lunch:

Inspired by the cool, rainy weather I made a delicious Indian Eggplant Lentil Stew Monday night and thoroughly enjoyed the leftovers for lunch today.

Side note: Tech wont their first game against Western Carolina Girl’s School Saturday!!!

 

Lentils have many benefits.  They are:

  • High in protein an fiber = filling
  • Good source of iron and magnesium
  • Take on virtually any flavor from other foods/seasonings
  • Low-cost
  • Good left-over!

 

This recipe will be up tomorrow!!!

 

 

Snacks:

Not pictured, but I am pretty predictable consistent:

  • Chocolate-Toffee Think Thin bar
  • Nuts – I caved and ate the Chick-fil-A sugar-coated.  They were good.  🙂
  • Kombucha Green Tea
  • Broccoli and carrot sticks dipped in my new find: Spinach-Artichoke Hummus

 

This hummus is a new Whole Foods find by Nature’s Healthy Gourmet.  You really get the good artichoke flavor in it!

Nature’s Healthy Gourmet is a small company based out of Florida that specializes in vegetarian and Kosher foods.  Nature’s hummus is also dairy- and gluten-free.  If you can find it, this hummus is worth a try!

 

Dinner:

Since I got home from work so late I opted for a lighter dinner.  A salad with raw french green beans, sprouts, and mission figs.

 

Did you really think that’s all I ate?  Bwhahahaha!

 

That salad was protein’d up with sriracha-marinated tempeh and hummus dressing (the aforementioned hummus mixed with a bit of apple cider vinaigrette).

I finally learned how to spell sriracha!!!  Gotta celebrate the small victories. 😉

 

For a more delicious eats, check out the round up at Peas and Crayons!

***

Please excuse the grainy iPhone pics for the next few days… my camera is broken!

It seems that every fast food place offers oatmeal now – do you ever purchase it in a crunch?

Is is getting cooler where you are?  Bring on the fall weather!

 

WIAW: The Rockies Edition

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Starting the week 3 hours behind is weird.

 

I woke up Monday morning in Denver, CO.

  • The Good: I woke up super early because I was on East Coast time
  • The Bad: By the end of the day I was pooped
  • The Weird, cont.: Now I’m in Chicago… in another time zone

 

Have you guys ever been in the Denver airport?  Having a massive airplane inside the airport gives it extra cool points.

I checked into the Hampton Inn (which was surprisingly well-kept/updated) and discovered that they had little pictures outside each guest room.  Pretty cool – they were all different!

However… don’t you think mine was a little risque?!

I swear I’m not running a prostitution business out of my hotel room.

Waking up super early meant I got in a couple of good workouts.  Hooray for hotel gyms!  Note the motivational sign across the mirror.

The WIAW part of my week is… weak…

Don’t kick me out, Jenn!

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Breakfast:

Luke-warm hotel instant oatmeal.  Made with water.  Eaten out of a styro-foam bowl with a plastic spoon.  Thank god for peanut butter.

Instead, let’s pretend I ate some of this:

Zucchini Bread Oatmeal with homemade quick blueberry “jam” was one of my better ideas.

I may stop for zucchini on my way back from the airport Friday…

Lunch:

How one conference could offer SO MUCH bad food is beyond me.

This was some sort of attempt at enchiladas.  I picked out the chicken and made a salad with the shredded lettuce.  Maybe one of those tortilla chips was eaten – they were ridiculously salty (even for a generic brand).

Snacks:

Not pictured, but these items were key to my survival:

  • Apple taken from the hotel breakfast bar
  • Peanuts I saved from my flight
  • Chocolate-Toffee Think Thin bar from home

 

 

Plus copious amount of tea to keep warm in the very well-air conditioned room and remain heavily caffeinated.

 

Dinner:

Again, not worthy of a picture.  It was an airport salad with 2 cucumbers and 2 tomatoes (not kidding).  I did manage to convince them to give me some hummus then regretted it.

This would have been much more delicious:

 

A big salad with hummus dressing (basil hummus mixed with a bit of apple cider  vinaigrette) and a side of roasted brussel sprouts (coated with herbed dijon mustard and olive oil).

Served with 1/2 a Food for Life Sprouted Grain and Seed English muffin and a big ‘ol scoop of my new favorite oil-free, vegan condiment:

Beet Sunflower Pesto.

 

You should try the pesto.  No need to like beets.  Guaranteed.

***

For a whole slew of eats MUCH better than mine, please hop over to Peas and Crayons. 

Do you prefer East Coast time?  West?  Somewhere in between or far away?

Let me live vicariously through you – what deliciousness are you eating this week?

Happy 4th of July!

By

Saturday’s lake day didn’t result in any Jim Beam-fueled chants, but my friend Kristy did make the most patriotic jello shots the world has ever seen.

They were just as good as they look!

We also enjoyed a great spread – everyone made something to share.  I sweat we didn’t plan the Mexi-theme… obv nothing says the 4th like Mexican. 🙂

The goods included (back to front): watermelon salad, Tostidos, peach-avocado salsa, my chipotle corn hummus, veggie sticks, and bean salad.

Not pictured: sandwiches and a ridiculous amount of beer.

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2 hours until the Peachtree Road Race!!!  I’m so pumped.  This year will be my 4th one.

4th on the 4th.  Tee hee.

This is also probably the best running-shape I’ve been in.  I’m especially excited to see how this impacts my endurance – Atlanta is a hilly city!

I hit up the expo yesterday to pick up my number and peruse the freebies (free Vega Sport powder samples!).  Parking downtown is a nightmare, so I decided to jog there and back.  Not a terrible idea until i was half way through the run home and reallllly wishing I wasn’t carrying that bag full of freebies.  🙂

After a hydration-filled day, I got in bed early in hopes of being well-rested.  This was only moderately successful since

  1. I was too excited to sleep and
  2. I firmly believe it is impossible to feel well-rested at 5:30 am (it’s still DARK!).

Nevertheless, I have my gear ready to go and I’m drinking a cup of coffee with my pre-race Chia Banana Pudding.

I made the pudding the same as the linked recipe, but added a bit of almond extract and cinnamon.  LOVE the additions!

Items to Remember Not to Forget:

  • Race number
  • Safety pins
  • Ribbon (orange for Leukemia)
  • KT Tape
  • Inhaler
  • Gum
  • Watch
  • Shuffle + ear earphones
  • MARTA (ATL’s Metro) card
  • Sport Bean samples

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Last week I decided to begin posting a weekly workout recap on Mondays.  Even though it’s a holiday, I’m sticking to it and using this to add to race motivation!

My running was light due to the pesky Achilles injury, but I really enjoyed a weight-focused week.

Workout Recap (6/27-7/3)

  • Monday – Yoga for Runners, 30 mins stationary bike intervals
  • Tuesday – Biceps/Back, 84 push-ups
  • Wednesday – Legs, P90X Ab Ripper X, 84 push-ups
  • Thursday – 4 mile run, Core, 84 push-ups
  • Friday – Tris/Chest (w/ 1 mile of intervals), 84 push-ups
  • Saturday – Lake day! (that counts… right?), 84 push-ups
  • Sunday – Shoulders, P90X Ab Ripper X, 4.5 mile run

***

It’s already been quite the weekend!  I have a feeling I’m going to want a post-long weekend vacation day.

What’s the most fun you had over the long weekend?

Did anyone else enjoy jello shots? 🙂

***UPDATE: I did it in 51:08!!!***

Chipotle Corn Hummus

By

This weekend is going to be already hella awesome.

Last night I tried a new restaurant – Escorpian – before going to see Florence and the Machine.

My chicken con red mole and grapefruit was tasty (aside from an incredibly salty side salad). I really liked how the tart grapefruit played with the heat of the red mole.

Springer Mountain chicken with red mole and grapefruit

The stars of this meal were the beverages.  Escorpian’s mixologist has put together a creative, fresh bar menu. I can’t wait to go back and try more!

The El Chamuco consists of blanco tequila, ginger, blackberries, lime, creme de cassis, and sage.

El Chamuco

I did NOT try my friend’s appetizer: octopus ceviche (she claims it was fantastic).

Octopus Ceviche

Would you have eaten that?!

Florence and the Machine put on an amazing show.  Florence’s voice is massive.  Her tiny self filled the room and had us mesmerized for close to 3 hours.

Today I am headed to the lake with a couple of treats to share on the boat.

In honor of the 4th of July (and my love of hummus), I decided to turn grilled corn on the cob into hummus.  Who doesn’t like a little smoky-sweetness to their hummus?

Since my building doesn’t allow grills I had to cheat a bit.

I bought the grilled corn from the counter at Whole Foods.  It was advertised as being cilantro-lime grilled corn… but it really didn’t have much flavor.

After I turned it into hummus it didn’t suffer from a lack of flavor!  This will knock your socks off.

The chipotles are especially good with the sweetness of the corn.  Add the chipotles and adobo sauce one at a time to adjust the spice-level to your taste (you guys know how I am with the heat!).

Chipotle Corn Hummus

Chipotle Corn Hummus

  • 2 ears of grilled corn
  • 1 C chickpeas
  • 2-3 T adobo sauce
  • 3 chipotle peppers
  • 1 serrano pepper
  • Juice of 1/2 large lime
  • 1T tahini
  • 2 green onions
  • 1/3 C cilantro
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne
  • S+P, to taste

Put it all in a blender and mix until smooth.  You may need to scrape down the sides periodically or add a bit of liquid (water or olive oil) if it isn’t mixing well.

Serve with your favorite chips, celery, carrots, or other fun veggie sides.

***

I’m looking forward to running Atlanta’s massive Peachtree Road Race (the largest 10K in the world!) Monday with 60,000+ of my closest friends. 🙂

Is anyone else running a race?

What are your big plans for fireworks this weekend?

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